Mercy Sponsors a Bike Ride to Benefit CARDIAC KIDS Program

KNOXVILLE -- The Mercy Health Partners Foundation, in conjunction with West Bikes, is sponsoring a family bike ride to benefit the CARDIAC KIDS Program on Saturday, May 28, 2011 beginning at 9 and 10 AM at the West Bikes Shop in the Village Green Shopping Center, 11531 Kingston Pike in Farragut.

Brad Hood, chaplain at Mercy Medical Center West, said there are several rides available that day for the experienced and novice rider including:

• Starting at 9 AM, a 63 or 33-mile supported ride with rest stops, radio communications, maps and queues sheets
• Starting at 10 AM, a 5 to10-mile family friendly bike ride on the greenways and through the subdivisions in the area.

"The entry fee for that day's activities is $20 and 100 percent of the entry fee goes to support the CARDIAC KIDS Program," Hood said. "The wrist bracelet is a ticket for the rest stops, lunch and is worth $5 at West Bikes on the day of the event. I appreciate the Foundation's help in sponsoring this event and to the West Bike Shop for coordinating the rides."

"This ride is a great way to get the whole family ready for more strenuous summer-time activities. And that is one of the most important goals of the CARDIAC KIDS Program as it encourages families all across East Tennessee to adopt a healthier and more active lifestyle," Hood added.

CARDIAC KIDS, or Coronary Artery Risk Detection in Appalachian Communities, is a cholesterol screening project aimed at identifying both children and their parents who have abnormal cholesterol levels as well as other cardiovascular diseases risk factors.

Mercy partners with local and regional public health departments in a four-county region of East Tennessee to screen students in the 4th and 5th grades at their schools. Students identified as having a high risk are provided with further testing and a "Call to Action" is sent to their parents and referred physicians.

The cooperating agencies are working to develop other ways to assist these children and their families to make behavior changes that will begin to address these cardiac risk factors.